Cross-country skier Arsi Ruuskanen estimates that he will get on roller skis in June. The season left a mixed taste, even though Ruuskanen managed to break into the top ten for the first time in the World Cup.
Skier Arsi Ruuskanen answers the phone on Thursday and says that he took a short jog in the morning. Training continues later in the afternoon with a push-up device for two and a half hours. There’s no point in going out skiing, let alone going to the Inari SC this weekend.
Five weeks ago in Planica, Ruuskanen was rushed to the hospital in the combined race of the World Championships.
Ruuskanen crashed into his billboard on the first lap going downhill. The skier says that immediately after the fall, his first thought was that the race could still continue.
– Immediately I thought that I could still get up with the hose and ski to the finish line. When I lay down and tried to get up, I quickly realized that there was no going back to the track. Nothing could be done on foot. Yes, it scared me, Ruuskanen recalls to Urheilu.
Ruuskanen’s leg was not broken. According to the skier, the exact diagnosis was soft tissue/muscle damage.
The season was interrupted by this crash. The skier had to watch part of the games from the couch at home.
– That was a shame. But the men’s relay medal was a great thing. I’m happy for the guys.
The race organizer was immediately hit in the neck by Ruuskanen’s fall. The advertising fence was later removed and padding was added to the trees.
– That billboard was in the wrong place, and there were stones next to the track in addition to it. If there were a few bends outside, you ran into an advertisement. It was a pretty big miscalculation on the part of the organizers, says Ruuskanen.
According to Ruuskanen, the organizers had not taken into account the difficulty of the bend in the joint start race.
Hungry for next season
Ruuskanen has returned to training. In addition to the push-up machine and the treadmill, the athlete has been swimming and doing strength training for the upper body. This is expected for another week.
The skier believes that it will be possible to get on roller skis in June. Ruuskanen estimates that the injury will not affect next season’s schedule.
What is the condition of the foot?
– Quite OK. It’s getting better day by day, week by week. The hope is that I will be able to start the next season normally. The running load must be monitored at the beginning.
The 23-year-old Ruuskanen made a real breakthrough in the skiing World Cup this season. The junior world champion skied to 8th place in the World Cup in the 20 km free time trial race in Davos in December.
The heavy slopes of Davos serve Ruuskanen’s great strength: strong oxygen absorption capacity.
The injury at the World Championships still made the season two-part.
– There was a lot of hunger in the next season. I will definitely come back stronger. The base level and features were carried forward for this season. The training season was successful.
Next season’s goal is to establish a level in the elite of the World Cup.
– In basic level skiing, you have to get into the top 20. The closer I can get to the top on a basic level, the better. The best World Cup ranking of my career is also a goal next season, Ruuskanen answers moderately.
Ruuskasen has had a tough month behind him, but it has been made easier by the numerous congratulatory messages the skier received after Planica.
– I have gained strength from the encouraging messages. I was surprised that I got so much attention in the media.
A couple of days after the fall, Ruuskanen came across an interview for the first time, in which Arto Nieminen The Finnish maintenance team commented on Ruuskanen’s fall in the middle of the race.
– It was a really fun video, fun entertainment, Ruuskanen laughs.
You can watch the video below.